Ritsu Tainaka
}} is the self-proclaimed "president" of the Light Music Club, and the drummer of the band Ho-Kago Tea Time. She was the one who formed the Light Music Club when it was on the verge of being disbanded, and since then, has become the natural leader of the band.Which also forgets some important things that is needed for the club. Character Ritsu is the source of fun and encouragement of her band, often making jokes, puns or pranks and being sarcastic most of the time. She has an ambiguous yet upbeat personality, but has often troubles remembering important club activities and announcements. Because of that, she constantly gets yelled at (and whacked) by her childhood friend Mio Akiyama. Despite her forgetfulness, she usually brainstorms for ideas to earn more money or for the club’s success in general (like blackmailing Sawako Yamanaka to become the club's supervisor). Ritsu is always on the go and will stop at nothing for the success of the light music club, even when everyone else gives up. Ritsu is very barefaced, sometimes audacious or even impudent, yet she never has any ill minds and usually apologises the moment after she went too far. On the other hand, she can't stop annoying everybody around her whenever the chance appears. Because of that, she has developed a certain endurance against Mio's hits. From time to time, Ritsu has been a very lazy character as well. When it comes to practicing, she only thinks of having fun with her bandmates (such as having tea breaks that almost drove Azusa Nakano away). During training camps, Ritsu usually votes to play first the moment they arrive and is often supported by Yui Hirasawa. She is usually too lazy to study and often needs Mio's help (because of that, she actually scores good marks). In very few occasions, when the pressure is too high, she tends to give up and needs the help of her friends to continue. When she becomes determined however, she can get her work done in no time. Such determination can be seen on her goal towards Budōkan or attending her university of choice so she can study with the rest of her friends together. She also loves playing her drums despite being hardly willed to practice. Ritsu has a strong sense of confidence from an unknown source, although her confidence has often lead to the club's despair, such as when losing their way in the middle of Kyōto. A trademark of her is the habit of putting both arms at the back of her head. She is also very curious and therefore knowledgeable of many places to have fun at, a fact her friend Tsumugi Kotobuki admires. Tsumugi also described her as the type of person who walks the extra mile for her friends and who would be really popular among girls if she would be a boy (leading Ritsu to hit her out of embarrassment). Ritsu has a tough front and would not cry easily. Her weak spot is seeing her friends cry and she would do anything to cheer them up, like denying the fact that she is crying too, despite it being obvious. Ritsu is a surprisingly good cook and is also very creative, using a hexagonal pen in exams to use it to determine the answer she should choose, regarding the number she diced. In stressful situations however, she quickly looses her head and tries desperate attempts to save the situation. Although she usually acts boyish and childish, she sometimes shows her girly and shy side, for example when she thought about Mio's lyrics to be a love letter for her or when she had to play the role of Juliet in her class' school act. She can also be very thoughtful, seen when she recalled her past. When Ritsu gets in a bad mood, the atmosphere gets really intense since it is completely against her character. An example would be her envious side when she gets the feeling Mio ignores her and spends instead more time with others like Nodoka Manabe. Despite her mostly immature behavior, she has in fact common sense, especially when her unreliable teacher Sawako is around. Appearance Ritsu has light brown hair that slightly touches the edge of her shirt's collar, her bangs pulled back with a yellow hairband. Two longer locks of hair fall at the ends of her hairband and touch her shoulders. She has hazel eyes, similar to her hair, and often wears a trademark grin. Without her hairband, Ritsu's bangs could reach her nose. Other than yellow, Ritsu wears other colored hairbands once in awhile, such as white, black, and red (especially when she was a child). At certain points in the anime, Ritsu uses other objects to hold her hair up, like goggles when the girls visited the beach, or when she put it up in a ponytail that stuck up when she was about to sleep during a field trip. Manga Ritsu in the manga does button her blazer, yet, like the anime, she does not tuck in her uniform when seen without her blazer. Besides her school uniform, she is often seen in polo shirts. Anime Her school uniform is often untucked (only tucked in by force, such as when Sawako forced her to or for official purposes like the graduation ceremony or the graduation photo) and her blazer is unbuttoned. She is the only one from the light music club that does not wear the beige waistcoat that is part of the summer school uniform and is instead only wearing her white blouse. Ritsu is seen wearing the school's blue tracksuits most often among her friends, mostly when she plays the drums. She had once exclaimed that she prefers wearing comfortable clothing than any other outfits as she had difficulty drumming in those clothes. like in the manga, she is often seen in polo shirts outside of school. Attires Pants over skirts. She likes to wear polo shirts. See also References Category:Characters Category:Ho-Kago Tea Time Category:Tainakas Category:Light Music Club